Cooking With CBD Oil

CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant and has been shown to help with stress and anxiety, relieve pain, and even perhaps to prevent cancer. You can use CBD in cooking to get these benefits.

Click here to learn about CBD. CBD oil is not addictive and is legal in Canada and the UK. Hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states of the USA. You can ingest the oil itself, or eat it in cooking and baking. CBD won’t get you high and is safe to use, for humans and pets. 

Health Benefits of CBD Oil

• Pain relief
• Combats anxiety
• Reduces the risk of Diabetes
• Preventative medicine
• Reduced risk of cancer
• Maintains brain health
• Helps with insomnia
• Helps with inflammation in the body
• Alleviates stress

Do Your Research

You should treat CBD as you would any other new ingredient. Investigate how it was sourced. CBD extract usually falls into three categories, including full-spectrum oil, broad-spectrum oil, or isolate powder. 

Full-spectrum oil contains high levels of CBD, but less than 0.3% THC. Broad-spectrum has high levels of CBD, no THC, and lower levels of other cannabinoids. CBD isolate consists almost entirely of CBD. 

Check the lab results of the product you’re buying to make sure it only contains what the label says it does, and doesn’t contain heavy metals, herbicide, pesticides, or other residual solvents from the extraction process. Many companies have lab results on their website, so start there.

Start Low and Go Slow

Everyone will respond differently to CBD oil. When you first start using it in cooking, it’s wise to limit yourself to 10 mg of full-spectrum oil to start with. If you feel good after this amount, you can use a slightly higher dose the next time you cook with the oil. If you have any questions about safe doses, consult your doctor or the company who sold you the CBD oil. 

Don’t Overheat It

You shouldn’t cook CBD oil over direct heat. You also shouldn’t saute with the oil, and definitely should never deep fry with it. It’s best not to heat the oil above 120 degrees fahrenheit. CBD oil is not a good alternative to a more traditional cooking oil. As it heats, it becomes really bitter. 

Overheating the oil could cause the CBD to lose some of its effects, as well as spoiling the flavor, so there’s no point using it to cook. Instead, use it as a finishing oil, or blend it into vinaigrettes and other dressings. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could poach using CBD oil at a very low temperature using an immersion circulator. This is a device that lets you cook food slowly, with very precise temperature control. For example, poach tomatoes in CBD oil to get them very tender. 

Let The Natural Flavor Shine

Flavor of the oil will differ slightly between different brands of CBD oil, but in general, the oil tastes like a very earthy olive oil. It has a distinct smell and flavor, a little like cut grass in olive oil. This might not be a flavour that you are used to, but this doesn’t mean that you should try to hide it in your food. If you’re going to use CBD oil, let the natural flavors shine through. Add a pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon before you drizzle the oil on a dish to balance the flavor, but you don’t need to. 

If you’re concerned that the CBD oil will overpower the whole dish with it’s strong flavor, you can create some balance by spreading the oil over a few different parts of the dish. For example, you could blend the oil into aioli, and also dress your salad with it, and then use it as a finishing oil. 

To make this even easier, you could try an olive oil that has been infused with CBD. There are many of these on the market, but these often have lower concentrations of CBD than CBD oil. These oils are easier for beginners to cook with until you get used to using CBD in your food. 

Cooking with CBD oil can seem intimidating when you first start out, but try to just think of it as another ingredient in your pantry. 

Top Tips For Cooking With CBD Oil

• Always use high-quality CBD oil. Quality matters when you cook, and there’s no good substitute for a good quality CBD oil. Always buy from a reputable brand. 
• Start small. Don’t overdo it when you start out. Use a small amount of CBD oil in your cooking until you are sure it works well for you. 
• CBD works best in recipes with some kind of fat in them, like butter or another kind of oil. 
• Try adding a few drops of CBD oil to your salad dressings, into smoothies, in coconut oil or butter for baking, or in many other ways. 
• Try adding CBD oil to some of your favourite recipes, like lattes or chia puddings. 
• Try savoury foods. You can buy lots of sweets and baked goods that have been infused with CBD. This is because it’s easy to cover the bitter taste of poor quality CBD with sugar. High quality oil is ideal for savoury dishes. 
• Keep stirring. When you cook with CBD oil, make sure you stir well and keep stirring. Stir more than you usually would, to ensure that your CBD oil is evenly distributed throughout the whole of whatever you are cooking, so each bite offers the same potency. 

CBD is safe to use, but before adding any new supplement to your diet, you should always speak to your doctor first. This is especially important if you are taking any form of medication, other supplements, or have allergies. Always research thoroughly, and make sure you only buy CBD oil from reputable companies, so you know what you’re getting, and can ensure you’re buying something that is safe and of good quality.